These days, it’s almost impossible to find an unbiased opinion on Radiohead. Ask most people, and they will respond, “That band that did that ‘I’m a Creep’ song, right?” They are considered by some as the Pink Floyd of our era because of their ever-expansive influence and experimentalism. Others call them “whiny crap.”
My inconsequential opinion is more in line with the former. And being the helpless Radiohead fan that I am, I found myself listening to their song “2+2=5” on repeat during the fall break. I also ate and drank healthy amounts of high fructose corn syrup, like any good American, and in moderation, of course. In fact, I think I’m going to play the song as I write this article. Actually, you should probably listen to the song as you read this article.
Am I brainwashed? Are you brainwashed? Maybe we’re both brainwashed. Did I brainwash myself this weekend? Let me explain.
My thoughts always wander, and I’m always overanalyzing things, which is considered normal functioning cognitive ability by most and by a select few as ADHD, ADD, Conduct Disorder, Delirium, Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, Delusional Disorder, Narcissistic Personality Disorder or more generally, Whatever-I-Can-Say-To-Sell-This-Drug Disorder. Whatever you want to call it, this constant thinking is often enjoyable for me, that is, until it is time for sleep.
To deal with this quandary, I have found an easy and entertaining solution. I turn on the tube. I let it fry my brain a little bit and tell me what to think. I let it tell me that two plus two equals five.
We forget so easily and get used to everything. Remember when the economy started going south and we received our handouts (special tax rebate)? It was un-American if we didn’t spend, spend, spend. Remember how the private group of bankers called the Federal Reserve lowered the interest rates and baited everyone with faulty loans? Then after holding the rates too low, they raised the interest rates too high? Two plus two equals five.
Then it all crashed. Obviously, it was our fault because of our irresponsibility, not at all because of lenders’ greed or their delinquent baiting tactics. That’s when they miraculously offered us a solution or, more accurately, an ultimatum. We had to cough up and bleed out $700 billion or face depression, whatever it took to keep our portfolios positive. We had to give the money back to the pigs that caused the crisis. And we did. Two plus two equals five.
Have we forgotten about our $816 billion already spent on JP Morgan, AIG, Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac and others? Now $700 billion more? Why does the U.S. government need to bail out insurance companies, investment banks, hedge funds and foreign companies?
It’s OK not to play by the rules if you are big business. Make your money at the expense of the people for as long as possible, and if all goes belly-up, there’ll be no worries; the “servant for the people” will bail you out. There is no crisis on Main Street and in stable financial institutions. The problem is the greed on Wall Street.
I can’t help but get angry with you sometimes. I’m sorry. Every time I say something, you either don’t seem to know what I’m talking about, or you just don’t care. Are you an ignorant buffoon? Maybe I’m the idiot. I pretend to care about the reckless government spending of our tax dollars, which we apparently really have no control over, by writing these trivial articles.
Maybe you have just realized, as I have yet not, that there is nothing to be done and no sense to worry and be vexed about it – pork barrel spending, increasing cost for political office, interest group-controlled congress, ever growing big brother, welfare, healthcare, foreign diplomatic policy, etc.
Will you be “such a dreamer to put the world to rights”? Or will you “stay home forever, where two and two always makes a five”? Will you let them “lay down the tracks,” ride their train and “sing along”? Sooner or later you will realize “the music’s all wrong” and “you can scream and you can shout” but “it is too late now.” You weren’t “payin’ attention.” “It’s the devil’s way now.”
Julio Cespedes is a junior majoring in biological engineering. He can be contacted at [email protected].